New Generation
by jamrulz
Summary: Mario and Peach's daughter, Maria, fell into Mobius by a red gem. She meets Shade, Shadow and Rouge's son, and a deep bond forms between them. A new evil arises, and the Mario Gang's kids and the Sonic Team kids must join to defeat it.
1. Chapter 1

Don't own either games. Enjoy.

"Your Highness. It's a little girl!" Mario gasped, happy and proud tears filling his eyes. Beside him, Toadsworth was chuckling, happy that his 'little girl' was okay with the birth. The toad smiled at the king, "You can go see her now."

Mario nodded happily, then slowly entered his wife's room. Peach's face was sweaty and her long, blonde hair stuck to her face. But her blue eyes smiled at him along with her mouth, and Mario thought she never looked more beautiful.

"Mario…look at our little girl." Mario slowly walked toward his two favorite girls. The baby's eyes slowly opened, and Mario's heart stopped. Blue sapphires met her dad's eyes, and Mario instantly melted. He gently held out his gloved finger, and the baby caught it in a tight grip. Swallowing, in order to keep from crying, he turned to his wife.

"We never really decided what we should pick for her name." Peach looked down, smiled, then turned to Mario.

"How about…Maria?"

"Maria…I love it." Mario looked down at the baby girl, wrapping his arms around his wife.

"Our little Maria."

…..

5 years later…

"Maria! Slow down, child!" The giggling girl looked back toward Toadsworth, who was panting from the heat. "Sorry Grandfather…but I can't help it. I love outdoors."

Toadsworth sighed, "You'll get your overall dress dirty." Maria was wearing a long-sleeve pink shirt, an overall dress (with prints of cherries on the bottom right-side corner), white tights, and pink topless shoes with straps. A pink cap with a pink 'M' was on her head.

Toadsworth stroked the girl's shoulder length brown hair. "Besides you shouldn't wander too far anyway. You could get hurt or lost." The girl sighed softly, "Yes sir."

"Now come. The park can't wait forever." Maria kept her face down the whole way.

When they arrived, she spotted her cousin, Lara. Lara had curly, red hair and cobalt blue eyes. She was wearing a yellow long-sleeve shirt, an overall dress (with prints of flying birds on the bottom right-side corner), white tights, and yellow topless shoes with straps. A yellow cap with a yellow 'L' was on her head.

"Maria!" "Lara!" The two girls ran toward each other and hugged. "How's Uncle Luigi and Aunt Daisy?" "Mom and Dad are having lunch with Grandma, but we wanted to come by and see you first." Maria smiled, "Glad you did."

Lara giggled, "You're it!" "Hey, no fair!" The two girls laughed wildly as they ran through the trees.

While running toward the fountain, Maria saw something twinkling out of the corner of her eye.

"Eh..?" The girl walked toward the flash and opened her eyes wide.

A sparkling red gem the shape of a crystal was buried in the dirt. It looked very pretty, like the rubies on her mother's crown. Slowly, the young girl picked up the gem with two hands, and gazed at it softly. "Maybe I can keep it. No one is here. Finders Keepers." Maria giggled…

…then abruptly stopped as the gem began glowing brighter and brighter.

"GRANDPA HELP!"

When the flash ended, the young princess was gone from the Mushroom Kingdom.

…

Maria opened her eyes slowly, feeling dizzy. "Grandpa..?" Maria let out a short scream as she took in her surroundings.

She was in the middle of a forest, all by herself…without her family. There was a stone structure with a huge green stone in the middle. Something about it…kind of creeped her out. Maria took out the red gem that had somehow fallen into her pocket and continued to gaze at it. The red gem flew out of the girl's hands and flew at one of the pillars.

"Ohhh…" Maria stared at the red gem stood atop of the pillar as it continued to glow. Suddenly, a red streak of light flew from the gem, and the beam hit Maria!

"Ah! Uh! Ah…" Maria opened one shut eye, then the other. Warmth, not pain, coursed through her. This felt nice…

After a few more minutes, the beam disappeared, and the red gem just sat still on the pillar. Maria blinked a few times, then turned to look at the strange forest.

"Where am I?" Nobody answered her. "Hello! Anybody here?" Silence met her question.

Maria sniffled, tears filling her eyes. She didn't want to be by herself. She could get hurt! Worse of all, her mommy and daddy were nowhere near her.

Maria slid down the cliff wall, sitting onto the grass. She drew her knees into her chest, and sobbed. It could have been minutes or hours. The poor girl didn't know. All she knew was that she was alone.

A gust of wind flew past the girl, and she lifted her face from her knees in curiosity. The gust seemed to stop immediately, then blew into the direction of the young girl. Maria gasped, and covered her eyes with a pink sleeve.

"Hey, are you okay?" Maria looked up to see a black hedgehog with white stripes on his quills, arms, and legs. He had red brackets and yellow rings on his wrists and ankles. Shoes with red and silver streaks were on his feet, hovers built on the soles. A tuft of white fur was on his chest, and his red eyes gazed at her curiously.

Maria nodded, tears still falling down her cheeks. The hedgehog sat down in front of her. "If you're okay, then why are you crying?" Maria sniffled, "I-I miss m-my mommy." The hedgehog saw that the girl was frightened, "You'll see her soon. My name's Shade. Who are you?"

"I'm M-M-Maria." The hedgehog's eyes widened, "Do you know my father? He talks about a girl named Maria to my mom all the time. He said they were good friends." Maria shook her head, "Sorry."

Shade shrugged, "Must be another girl. How old are you? I'm eight." Maria held out her hand, "I'm five." "Do you want to be my friend?" Maria smiled, her blue eyes sparkling, "Okay." Shade smiled widely. He scooped Maria up bridal-style, causing the young girl to blush slightly. "Hang onto your cap, Maria." Maria smiled, nodded, and pressed her hand flat against the top of her cap.

The forest turned into a green blur.

….

Shadow turned to Rouge slightly, hearing her sigh. "Sweetie, Shade is okay. He has your abilities, he's Ultimate Lifeform Junior." Shadow sighed, knowing full well that his wife was right. It's just…his last family, his friend, had something bad happen to them. _Maria…_

He wasn't going to let anything happened to his family. A white and black dash appeared in the front yard. Shadow sighed in relief, but curiosity and confusion showed on his face when he saw his son holding a human girl in his arms. Shade placed the laughing girl down, and looked up at Shade bashfully. Shadow heard their voices through the window.

"That was fun, Shade! Can we do that again?" Shade laughed, red eyes smiling at the girl.

"Sure we can, Maria." Shadow gasped, and felt his eyes fill with tears at the painful reminder of his friend when the young girl's name was mentioned.

….

"You want to see my parents? I want to tell them I made a new friend." Maria clapped her hands, "Okay." Shade held Maria's hand as the two kids walked toward the house.

"Mom? Dad! I'm home!" A white bat greeted them at the front of the door. "Hello sweetie. Oh!" The bat noticed Maria, who was looking at her hands shyly.

"Mom, this is Maria. She's my new friend." The bat smiled motherly at the young girl, "Hello honey. My name is Rouge. I'm so happy Shade has a new friend." Maria smiled at the bat, "Thank you, Miss. Rouge. Shade is a really good friend."

"Won't you come in?" Maria curtsied, "Thank you, ma'am." Rouge smiled, then turned to the hall, "Shadow, come meet Shade's new friend." Turning to Maria, she smiled, "My husband. He grows to like children." Maria looked confused by that statement. Did she mean that Mr. Shadow might not like her?

A hedgehog that looked like Shade, except the red replaced the white, appeared from the hall. He had a haunted look on his face, and Rouge's face grew nervous as she watched her husband look at the young human.

Maria smiled and curtsied, "Hello Mr. Shadow." Shadow couldn't answer her at first as he looked into her eyes.

Hauntingly familiar sapphire orbs looked at him from the young girl. He saw the brown hair turned to blonde. Her pink cap turned to a blue headband and her pink shirt and overall dress turn into a blue dress the color of the sky.

"Shadow, sweetie?" The vision disappeared, and all he saw was the young, brown hair, blue eyed girl that continued to smile at him.

"My apologies. Hello…Maria." Maria smiled at the hedgehog, then turned to Shade. "Can we play hide and seek?" "Okay!"

Both girl and hedgehog ran out into the front door, but Maria immediately ran back in, curtsied, said "Thank you", and ran back outside.

Rouge smiled, "Things are going to get pretty interesting around here." Shadow nodded absently, watching the girl and his son play.

_Who is that girl? And where did she come from?_

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

Maria laughed, trying to run away from Shade, but it was impossible. He scooped her up into his arms, causing her to laugh even louder. She liked Shade…a lot. He was a very great friend.

"MARIA?" Maria turned toward the voice, her heart filling with hope. It was! Lara was coming…from fifty feet up?

"Lara?" Shade turned toward Maria's voice, and saw another human girl… hovering through the trees? His surprised look turned to a frown when he saw who was with the girl.

A green fox with two tails was holding onto Lara's hand with two hands. A green whirlwind was flying behind the fox's rear end. A pink rosebud was blooming behind her right ear, and crystal blue eyes looked at the girl carefully, making sure she didn't hit anything.

The moment Lara's feet hit the ground, she ran to her cousin, hugging her for all she's worth. The green fox watched the two girls, smiling softly. Her eyes met Shade's…and her smile lessened slightly. "Hello Shade." Shade nodded at the fox, his frown never leaving his face.

"I'm glad you're here Lara. How did you get here?" Lara turned to the green fox, "Lily found me. She saved me from falling down the cliff." Maria gasped, ran to Lily, and hugged her tightly, "Thank you! Thank you for saving my cousin." Lily wrapped her arms around the brunette. "It was nothing… Maria?" Maria nodded.

Shade walked to Maria, "Come on Maria." Maria looked at Shade, confused, "We're gonna leave?" Shade nodded, still glaring at Lily. "Can Lara come with us?" Shade turned to the young girl, who was smiling shyly. "Yeah, she can come." Lara smiled, "Thank you Shade." Lara turned back to Lily, "Thank you again."

Lily nodded, frowning at the black hedgehog, who grabbed the girls' hands. "I'll see you later." The green fox flew up into the trees, blue eyes still glaring into red ones. Shade forced a smile to the young girls.

"Hold tight, girls." "WHOA!" Both girls screamed with surprise and delight as they ran.

….

"Okay, Lara, you're it this time!" Lara rolled her eyes and ran after the other two kids. Shade and Maria held hands as they ran, giggling and dodging obstacles as they did so. Lara was getting closer.

"I have you now!" "No!" Maria laughed, as she jumped while running. Only when she jumped…

… she didn't come back down.

Maria gasped and Shade looked at her in shock. "You…can _fly_?" Maria looked down at him, eyes filled with fright. "I think I am. HELP!" Lara looked up in shock, "Maria, are you flying? I'll get help!" The girl ran to the nearest house, which was fortunately Shade's.

Lara banged on the door, begging for the owners to hurry. A black and red hedgehog opened the door, swallowed quickly when he saw the frightened blue eyes, and cleared his throat, "What is it?"

Lara pointed, "Maria's flying for some reason with Shade, and she can't get down!" The hedgehog gasped and turned inside, "Rouge, come here quick!" The two adults ran after Lara. Lara pointed, "S-see..?"

Maria had gripped onto the branch of a tree, and Shade was crouching on the branches, holding onto the girl's wrist. Maria's legs were dangling up in the air, as if the sky was actually pulling her towards it. "Help…I'm scared…Shade…" Shade swallowed, "It's alright. Lara's getting help."

"Maria?" The girl looked down to see Shadow and Rouge with Lara. "Are you alright?" Maria shook her head, "Please get me down!"

Rouge flapped her bat wings and flew up to the young girl. She wrapped her arms around her and flew her back down. Her son ran down the base of the tree. Rouge didn't dare release Maria in case she flew again. Shadow watched the girl with a stern look, "Maria…what happened?" Maria whimpered, "I-I don't know. I was playing tag and I jumped. Then I couldn't touch the ground." Maria whimpered more, hiding her face in Rouge's shoulder.

Rouge sighed and looked at her husband. Lara was sniffling as well. She also noticed that the redhead was leaning against Shadow, fighting to make her eyes stay open. "It seems three kids need to take a nap, huh?" Maria's breath deepened, so it seemed that the young girl was already accomplishing that. Shade yawned as well and Lara's eyes kept shutting and closing.

Shadow picked up Lara and Shade skated lazily behind his parents. They would need to keep a better eye on the children.

…..

Rouge placed Maria beside Shade on the floor and wrapped a blue blanket around them. Shadow placed Lara beside her cousin and wrapped a pink blanket around her. He noticed Maria snuggling close to Shade and Shade wrapped an arm around her shoulder, as if protecting her, even in sleep.

Shadow watched the two children softly, eyes filled with pain. The image reminded him so greatly of himself and his Maria in the Ark. What would happen to his son if something terrible happened to _this _Maria? Something so terrible, that it would send the girl to her death?

He looked at all three kids with a determined look. Nothing was going to repeat what had happened on the Space Colony Ark fifty years ago, especially to people so young. Until the girls found their way back home, he was going to keep an extra critical eye on them.

….

Toadsworth was on his knees, sobbing, "I am sorry, Your Highness! I should have watched her better. It's my fault she's gone!" Mario placed a hand on Toadsworth's shoulder, "It's not your fault, Toadsworth. Somebody must have taken her while you weren't looking. You didn't know this was going to happen."

Peach was sobbing into a handkerchief, feeling Toadsworth's sorrowful gaze on her. She agreed with her husband that it wasn't his fault, but her baby could be lying out cold in the middle of nowhere…or worse.

The door burst open and loud footsteps echoed the hall. "Mario!" Mario turned, a look of surprise on his face, "Luigi?" Luigi ran faster, Daisy on his heels. "Bro, has Lara been here?" Mario shook his head, "No, she's not here." Daisy sobbed, and covered her face with her hands.

"She's disappeared, Bro!" Luigi began to sob, "What kind of a father am I?" Mario shook his brothers' shoulders, a firm look on his face, "A great one. Now stop crying and think."

"M-maybe Bowser has them?" Mario shook his head, "I already tried that. He said he doesn't have them. I then checked to see if he was lying. For once, he wasn't. I did beat him up though." Daisy sniffled, "I-I saw Lara holding onto some jewel while s-she was looking for Maria. I-I still have it." Sniffling, Daisy took something out of her dress pocket.

It was a gem that was the color of the ocean, and it was partly covered by Daisy's handkerchief. Mario took it from her hands, examining it thoroughly. "We might need the Professor's help to find out what this is." All heads nodded. Mario went back to his wife and hugged her comfortingly.

_Maria…Lara…Please be okay…_

…

Lara moaned sleepily into the pillow, then turned to look at Maria. She smirked softly when she saw her and Shade sleeping in each other's arms. _Maria likes Shade. _She giggled, nestling back into her pillow. She grunted when light suddenly filled the room.

"Kids, wake up." Lara looked up at Rouge with a pout. Rouge chuckled and ruffled the red curls. The bat gently shook Maria's shoulder, and Shadow ran a hand through Shade's quills. Both kids groaned and blinked sleepily. Shadow's breath caught in his throat as the sleepy sapphires met his red eyes. Quietly, he ran a hand through the brown hair. "Wake up…Maria. It's time for dinner." Maria groaned, "Okay Mr. Shadow…" Yawning, she threw the blanket from her shoulder and turned to Shade. "Come on, Shade. Time for dinner."

Shade blinked his red eyes at Maria, "Mm…Maria?" Maria nodded, eyes still filled with sleep. "Come on…" Maria held out her hand and Shade took it, yawning. Lara took Maria's other hand, and all three of them walked after the adults. They had just started to eat their grilled cheese (Rouge and Shadow had spinach casserole) when all of a sudden…

"Yo, Shadow!"


	3. Chapter 3

Shadow groaned, "Oh no, not today…" Rouge gently punched her husband's shoulder and opened the door, "Hello Sonic and Amy." Shade gasped and ran through the door.

"Uncle Sonic!" Shadow mumbled, "I don't know why he calls him that…" Maria asked innocently, "Aren't you and Mr. Sonic brothers? I call Uncle Luigi my uncle because he's my dad's brother." Shadow let out a deep breath and answered patiently, "We knew each other when we were younger and we look alike, but we're not brothers." Maria nodded, "Oh…" Shadow could tell she didn't get it.

A blue hedgehog went through the door, holding Shade in his arms. A pink hedgehog walked after him, a young blue hedgehog with a pink stripe in his quills beside her. "Shade!"

"Neo!" Shade and the blue, young hedgehog gave each other a high five. Sonic's green gaze met the two human girls'. "Ohhhh…. Shadow has two wittle girls." Sonic strolled over to where they sat. "And they're so pretty. How are you sweetie? Is grumpy Shadow giving you two a hard time?" Sonic ran a gloved finger across Maria's cheek, making her smile. Shadow clenched his gloved fist in annoyance, "Faker, what do you want?"

Sonic smirked, running a hand through Lara's hair, "Neo wanted to play with Shade, and I haven't seen my brother from another mother in a long time, so I thought I'd join in. Of course, my beautiful wife decided to come too." Maria gave Shadow a confused frown, "So he _is_ your brother?"

Shadow shook his head, "No Maria. He's just saying that because he's a…idiot." Sonic looked to the brunette in surprise, "Maria, huh? That's a pretty name." Sonic turned to Maria's cousin, "Who are you, Honey?" The girl smiled, "I'm Lara." Sonic wrapped his arm around her, "Beautiful name." Shade took Maria's hand and led her to Neo. "This is Neo, Maria. He's my brother from another mother."

Shadow groaned, "You got that from Faker again…" Neo shook Maria's hand. "Nice to meet you, Maria." Maria giggled, "You too. Here's my cousin, La-" Maria stopped talking, gaping at her cousin in astonishment. Amy and Rouge both shrieked. Sonic and Shadow just stared at the redhead.

Lara looked confused, "What's wrong?" Maria shakily pointed, "Y-your hand…" Lara turned and screamed. Her right hand was missing!

Lara looked at her cousin, her eyes filling with tears. "W-What happened?" Suddenly, Lara began disappearing altogether! "LARA!" A voice spoke out in midair, "Maria, I'm okay!" Shadow spoke out, "Lara, where are you?" "I-In my seat…"

Amy spoke up, "Sweetheart, I think you're invisible. We can't see you, but we know you're here. Have you ever been through something like this?" The voice spoke out again, "N-No…" Sonic started talking, "Try to turn back into being visible." "I can't! It's not working!"

Rouge murmured, "Stay calm and try to remember what you look like." A soft grunt was heard through the air, and a small hand began to materialize. "That's it…" Soon, Lara's whole body appeared and she smiled shakily. Rouge picked her up and twirled her gently, "You did it…" Lara chuckled and wrapped her arms around Rouge's neck. Amy patted the girl's back comfortingly.

"These are very special girls, Shadow." Sonic looked at him in wonder. "Yes…" Shadow stared at Maria and Shade hugging each other in relief for their friend. "…very special."

…..

"Eggo, where are we? We still need to look for the princesses." "Yoshi!" A white, twelve year old, toad with red spots and two white braids down her back (she was also wearing a white dress with blue and pink ribbons on the front) walked with a green dinosaur with pink spots and a huge snout. The toad looked at the yellow and silver jewels in her hands. "Wonder who dropped these?" Eggo spit out a purple, green, and a dark blue jewel on the ground.

"Seems important though, huh?" Eggo swallowed the three jewels again, and the toad girl let Eggo swallow the two jewels from her hands. "We better be careful. If this place is still connected to the Mushroom Kingdom, we'll bound to have some unwelcome company." Eggo let out a 'bup' and the toad jumped onto his back.

"Don't worry Princess Maria and Princess Lara. We'll find you or my name isn't Mushroom!"

….

A red echidna with orange highlights chased a chao who was holding a black leather strap in its hands. "Give it back you little blue rat! I need that to complete my attire!"

Mushroom and Eggo watched the strange creature from the forest trees. This was a bewildered creature. "It must be an enemy, Eggo! All enemies in our fair kingdom look weird!" "Yoshi!" Both children saw the echidna suddenly freeze, then looked straight at them!

"Come on, Eggo!" Mushroom jumped on top of Eggo's back, holding onto his neck as they ran. Both gasped as the echidna jumped in front of them! Mushroom swallowed her fear and stood on top of Eggo's back. "Who are you and what do you want?" The creature bared his teeth and roared, "I am Chaos the Echidna! And I sense the Chaos Emeralds! Surrender them and I'll give you a chance to run!"

Mushroom clenched her fists. She wasn't about to let this…echidna scare her to give up the jewels. He would take them to the enemy-she was sure of it! "If you want them…you'll have to go through _me _first!"

Chaos looked her up and down growling, "I'm warning you…" Mushroom kept her stern face on, despite the sweat that was rolling down her face. She didn't dignify him with speaking. "Okay then! Enough talking! GIVE ME THE CHAOS EMERALDS!"

…

Maria looked up at the nearest tree. She had decided she was going to try to control her flying. She didn't know if it would happen again, but she needed to take her chances. Taking a deep breath, Maria stood still on her tiptoes, clenching her eyes closed, and imagined a happy thought.

Nothing.

_It worked for Peter Pan!_ Maria pouted and crossed her arms. Stomping over to the tree, she sat down against it. "That was dumb!" "What was?" Maria looked at Shade who sat down beside her. "I want to practice my flying, but I can't do it!" "

"What were you thinking of when you were flying?"

"Well I was thinking of the fun thing we were doing. Playing tag." "Think about something else fun."

Maria closed her eyes and slowly thought about her favorite thing to do back home.

Help her mommy make cake for her father.

Shade smiled as he saw Maria began to hover. "You're doing it, Maria…" Maria opened her eyes and smiled widely when she saw she was. "Yeah…I am. Thanks for helping me Shade." Shade smiled, "It's my pleasure."

Both children smiled without saying anything for a few minutes. Both suddenly jumped, bright pink blushes on their faces. "We should probably go inside." "Y-yeah…we need to say goodbye to Mr. Sonic." "Yeah…" Shade held out his hand, cheeks still red.

Maria slipped her hand into his, looking down at the ground with a shy smile. Unknowing to them, Shadow and Rouge saw the whole thing. Rouge looked at the children with a knowing smile. Shadow just looked worried.

He knew something going on between Shade and… Maria. They were becoming something more than he and his Maria were. The fear for his son increased ten-fold. Shade would be utterly destroyed if the girl died. Shadow suddenly thought about installing a tracking device in Maria so he would always be able to know if she were in danger. Anything to prevent his son going through the same pain he did.

"AAAAHHHHHHH!" Shadow gasped at the screams. Maria jumped, her eyes widening in recognition and horror. "Mushroom!"

….

Mushroom groaned in pain, trembling from the sudden fall. The echidna was persistent. But she would not give up, if it meant he would not get near the emeralds. Glaring at Chaos, Mushroom stood up shakily, wiping a trail of blood from her cheek.

"We're not done yet! Eggo!" The dinosaur jumped, throwing eggs at the red echidna mercilessly. Chaos punched through the eggs as they flew toward them, and for the first time since the battle started, Mushroom's eyes began to fill with fear.

Chaos smirked, "Any more bright ideas?" Mushroom gulped, "Just one." Without warning, Eggo opened his mouth and his tongue shot forward, wrapping around Chaos. Chaos' eyes widened at the feeling, then screamed in terror as he flew into Eggo's mouth. Eggo swallowed then made a few grunting noises. After an agonizing ten minutes, Eggo finally laid a perfect, green speckled egg…

…that made angry, grunting noises.

Mushroom smirked, "See ya later, Cherry." She and Eggo were walking a few feet away from the egg when noises approached. Both went into battle positions, but stopped when they saw Maria and Lara.

Both instantly bowed down, "Your Highness! You're safe!"


	4. Chapter 4

Shade glanced at Maria in shock. _Your __**Highness**__?_

Everybody joined Shade in gaping at the two little girls. Maria turned to Mushroom, "We're okay Mushroom." The toad looked up at Maria's companions. "Who are you?"

Everybody introduced themselves to the two . "I am Mushroom, daughter of Toad and Toadette, two of the most trusted bodyguards of King Mario and Queen Peach, and personal handmaiden to Princess Maria. This is Eggo, son of Yoshi and Birdo." She turned to Lara, "King Luigi and Queen Daisy of the neighboring kingdom are looking for you, Princess." Lara turned to her cousin, "We can't get home."

Maria met Shade's red eyes, which were mildly glazed with confusion. "I am a princess, but I forgot to mention it to you. Please don't be mad at me…" Maria's eyes were shining with tears. Shade ran over to her and hugged her. "I could never be mad at you Maria. You're my best friend." Maria rested her head on Shade's shoulder, feeling safe and lucky to have a friend like him.

Shadow winced at the display, then focused on Mushroom, "Do you know what these are?" Eggo spit out the emeralds quickly. Sonic stepped forward, "Those are the Chaos Emeralds. They are the source of ultimate power in our planet. Why do you have them?"

"We found them in at the Mushroom Kingdom." Mushroom looked at the blue hedgehog defensively. Sonic looked at her in astonishment, "How did the emeralds get there? Mushroom Kingdom isn't a part of our world!" Now Mushroom looked a bit concerned. "So this is a whole different world from the one we came from? That is a problem…" Sonic looked at her sternly, "Never mind that. We have to put the emeralds back where they belong."

Everyone nodded to the blue hedgehog and were about to leave until they heard angry grunts. Sonic raised an eyebrow, "That sounds like…Chaos!" Sonic ran to the egg and gave it a hard punch. Chaos fell to the ground, eggshell stuck in his red locks, stuttering and gasping. Mushroom snickered, "You put up a good fight."

"So do you. So do you. But I protect the Chaos Emeralds." Mushroom's smirk fell off her face, "You should have said something." Chaos looked at her with steady blue eyes, "You never asked." Mushroom looked down at the ground, guilt and shame sweeping over her. "I apologize." Chaos gave her a smirk, "It's okay. I'll take you to where the Chaos Emeralds are supposed to be placed." Everyone followed quickly.

Lara was at the back of the group, skipping behind Amy. A whoosh was heard, coming closer and closer. The girl turned quickly, smiling, wondering who else of Mr. Sonic's friends were coming. Her smile turned into a confused frown as the figure showed no signs of stopping. Gloved hands reached out for her and grabbed her roughly.

"MARIA!"

The group gasped as they heard Lara scream. They turned around quickly to see what happened, but the figure was moving too fast. Lara's scared screams pierced into everyone's hearts. Maria gripped onto Shade. Amy and Rouge tried to comfort Mushroom and Neo. Sonic and Shadow immediately ran after Lara's kidnapper.

Lara's screams continued to echo throughout the forest. Shadow winced at the noise and Sonic looked at him in concern and sympathy. The screams reminded Shadow of his deadly past. Sonic looked ahead, face determined.

_Hang on Lara…we're coming for you…_

….

E. Gadd looked at the gem with astonishment. "This is incredible! I've never seen this type of power before!"

Mario glanced at him a little impatient, "Yeah, Gadd, but what does it do?" The professor adjusted his glasses, "Well Mario, this gem could do a lot of things according to my scanners. It could give people massive power and it can transport you if need to-"

"Transport! Maybe Maria and Lara transported somewhere in the Mushroom Kingdom!" Gadd looked at Mario with a sad look. "According to my scanners, Your Majesty, the princesses…are not in this world." Mario looked gravely at the professor, "What do you mean?" "I think that an emerald took the princesses into a whole different world. They're not here-nobody could find them." Mario looked at the emerald, "C-can we try..?"

Gadd shook his head regretfully, "It needs to be charged up again, and that could take months. I'm sorry." Mario nodded and sighed, "At least we know there was no kidnapping involved. Maybe somebody in whatever world they're in is taking care of them right now."

…

Lara had screamed herself to exhaustion, which made this a lot easier. The shadowed figure smirked at the unconscious redhead. The brat had finally shut up. _This was going to be so sweet!_

He heard that a human girl had been spotted, being filled with a Chaos Emeralds' power. If the girl was with them, she would be a powerful weapon. And the best part was Shadow and Sonic wouldn't dare attack a small, helpless child.

The figure let out a deep dark laugh and situated the child over his shoulder. He had to move fast if he was going to beat Sonic and Shadow.

…

Shadow whispered, "She's not screaming anymore Sonic. Do you think she's..?" Sonic shook his head, "No way Shads. If she did, you would know. A deep, dark, empty feeling would overwhelm you at first, then a huge rush of pain." Shadow looked up at Sonic in confusion.

"How would you know that?" Sonic sighed, "That's how I felt when I saw Cosmo and Chris lying there in the Meterex's clutches. Chris looked as if he were dead. Thank you for rescuing him by the way." Shadow shook his head, "That thanks is long overdue."

Sonic chuckled, "Don't tell anyone. I'm supposed to never be late." Sonic's smirk fell off his face and he sighed, "It's getting dark. We should stop for tonight." Shadow wanted to protest, but deep inside he knew Sonic was right. Lara was alive for now, that was all that mattered for now.

With heavy hearts, the two hedgehogs went back home.

….

Chuckling evilly, the figure placed the young girl on the ground. A beam of moonlight glinted off of her, making the girl look even more vulnerable. A little pang of guilt went through the figure's heart, but it was immediately squashed.

The girl groaned and slowly opened her blue eyes. She immediately sat up, looking at the figure in terror. Chuckling, the figure walked forward until he was covered in the moonlight.

Lara raised an eyebrow, looking at the figure in shock, confusion, and terror, "M-Mr. Sonic..?"

The figure let out a short laugh and grinned evilly, "Pretty close, girlie."

He leaned into the girl's face and smirked, "Scourge is the name, reign of evil's my game."


	5. Chapter 5

Shadow went into the house, hearing tiny sobs from Maria. The girl was crying into Rouge's lap. Shadow sighed and placed a hand on the girl's back.

"D-did you find h-her?" Shadow shook his head, "No Sweetie. I'm sorry." Maria nodded, "Y-you tried…" She went forward, wrapping her arms around the hedgehog's neck, burying her face in the fluffy white fur. Shadow tensed, obviously not expecting that. Slowly he wrapped his arms around the young girl, pulling her into his lap gently.

Maria situated herself in his lap, resting her head on his chest, slowly falling asleep. Shadow looked at the sleeping girl nervously, then looked at his wife. Rouge smiled gently at the nervous hedgehog. She knew what he was feeling: there was a little human girl near him again. He's scared that he'll somehow bring danger to her. Rouge flew forward and gave her husband a deep kiss on the lips that gave him all the reassurances he needed.

Shade gave a little 'bleh' when he saw his parents kissing. Mushroom gently punched him on the shoulder, telling him to quiet down. She _is_ mostly a tough, fearless bodyguard, but she was a sucker for romances. Shadow looked up at Rouge, "Lara was long gone, even when Faker and I were at our top speed." Rouge kissed her husbands' forehead. "I have no doubt you'll find her Shadow. Remember when Lily was missing for a month?"

_Flashback…_

Tails ran, beads of sweat falling down his face. This was the fourth week his daughter was missing, how could anyone _not_ notice a green fox? His wife was flying through the air, using her dress to gain speed. Silent tears fell out of her bright, crystal blue eyes. Her poor little baby…

The parents refused to give up and they even kept their friends' hope alive. But…it might be something that they just got to accept.

Cosmo looked at Tails from the air, a look of defeat in her eyes. Blue met blue, and Tails felt despair in his heart. Their daughter was gone… Sonic, Amy, Knuckles, Tikal, Cream, Charmy, and Rouge all gathered to offer the family their condolences. Just when Sonic was about to start talking, a red and black dash ran past them.

Everybody gasped in shock, Cosmo fell into tears of happiness, and Tails let a couple of tears out. Standing there was Shadow and in his arms was Lily. Cosmo gave Shadow a sisterly kiss on the cheek and took her baby gently out of his arms. Tails clapped Shadow on the shoulder, a grateful smile on his face. Shadow just gave them a nod, scooped up his wife, and ran home.

_End Flashback…_

Shadow nodded, "But Lily wasn't kidnapped by someone who is apparently fast like me and Faker. She had ran off by accident and gotten lost. This is a totally different situation." Rouge looked deep into his eyes, "You _can _do it, Shadow. You will find her. I believe in you." Eggo let out a "Yoshi!" Mushroom pumped up her fist, winking at Shadow, "Oh yeah!" Shade smirked at his father, "You're the Ultimate Lifeform, Dad. You can do anything." Shadow heard a little yawn, and looked at the child in his arms. Maria smiled sleepily, "I believe in you too, Shadow. Please…do it…for…me…" The young girl fell back into sleep, not knowing what her words did to the red and black hedgehog.

Shadow trembled at the words, holding Maria close. Then his red eyes glowed with determination. Lara was going to come back, he will fulfill that promise.

"I promise Maria. I'll bring Lara back for you…"

…

Lara looked at this 'Scourge' with fear, tears trailing down her cheeks. "W-what do you w-want from me, s-sir..?" The green hedgehog smirked, "Nothing much, babe. Just some of your chaos power." Lara whimpered, "I-I don't have a-any…"

Scourge's smirk turned to a growl, "Don't lie to me, girlie!" Lara shook her head shakily, the tears falling faster, "I don't have any! The only chaos was a chaos emerald back at my world! Nothing happened to me!" Scourge growled to himself.

The girl wasn't lying, which means he took the wrong girl! Lara looked up at the green hedgehog nervously, then slowly closed his eyes, concentrating. Her body slowly vanished. Lara sniffled quietly, and ran.

….

A young boy slowly walked down the path, leading him to 'Uncle' Mario's castle. He had heard that his cousins have gone missing, and he wanted to help. He moved his orange bangs out of his face, sweating from fear for his cousins' safety.

The boy was wearing a long, blue-sleeve shirt and purple overalls. A blue cap was on his head, a blue 'J' in the middle. Brown boots was worn on his feet and they were covered with dust while he traveled up the road. The boy gasped, blue eyes widening as he saw an old, brown toad with a cane running in sadness.

"Mr. Toadsworth!" The brown toad slowed down to greet the teen. "Sir Josh! How wonderful to see you!" Josh shook Toadsworth's hand in salutations. The smile faded to a concerned frown. "I heard about Maria and Lara and I came to help." Toadsworth smiled for the first time in days. "Where are your parents?" Josh rolled his eyes, "Mom joined Dad on his adventure for looking for more treasure. She wanted to write down everything they see so she could possibly make her own video game. They are concerned about the girls though."

Toadsworth shook his head. "Follow me, I will tell you all that happened." Josh jogged beside the toad as they ran to the castle.

…

Josh stared at the blue gem. "So that's a Chaos Emerald?" Toadsworth nodded his head. "We're waiting for it to charge up so we can try to teleport. We have to wait for a few more weeks, I'm afraid." He walked out of the lab, "I'd better tell their Majesties that you've arrived." The boy continued to gaze at the emerald. _My father would kill for something like this…_

The boy just crossed his arms. _Of course I wouldn't. _He walked a little closer, studying the emerald. He loved studying different rocks, and it would be exciting to look at one that could transport people to different worlds. He looked out the door, walking closer to the emerald as he did so. He didn't know why…it felt like it was calling him.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I touch it…" The teenager lifted his finger slowly and gently touched the top of the emerald with the tip of his finger.

A huge wave of white light fell over the boy as he yelled in terror…

…

Sonic ran through the forest, yelling out Lara's name as he did so. He, Tails, and Shadow had taken off first thing to find her, and they hadn't had much luck.

_It's been five hours! She has to be around here somewhere! _The adult, blue hedgehog ran through the forest even faster in determination. A heap crumpled on the ground got him to slow down. It was a young boy with orange hair. He was wearing a blue shirt and purple overalls and the same style cap that Maria and Lara wore.

Sonic knelt down and placed two gloved fingers on the boy's neck. He let out a breath of relief as a steady pulse pressed against his fingers. _Is he related to Maria and Lara? _He gently picked up the teen bridal-style and ran off. "I'll have to catch up with Shad and Tails later. I better drop the kid off first."

Rouge and Amy's eyes widened as he arrived five minutes later. "Another one?" Sonic shrugged, giving the girls a smile, "At least it's a boy, right?" Amy rolled her eyes at her husband. He sometimes still acts like he did when he was fifteen, but that's one of the reasons she fell deeper in love with him.

Amy took the boy out of his arms and walked inside the house. She placed the boy gently on the couch, wrapping a blue blanket around him. She wiped the orange bangs gently away from his face. "You'd better rest up, honey…" She smiled softly at the human. He looked a lot like their first human friend, Chris Thorndyke.

_Chris…_

She looked down sadly. He must be dead right now in his world. He was a great friend, but he was the best of friends with Sonic. They all miss him and he would never be forgotten. "Josh!" Amy looked up to see Maria running down the stairs, Mushroom running behind her. Maria shook her cousin awake and his blue eyes widened as he saw his cousin.

"Maria!" Josh hugged the girl tightly, feeling tears of happiness running out of his eyes. She was safe… His eyes widened more at the sight of a pink hedgehog looking down at him. Her green eyes sparkled in welcome. "You must be Josh. Hello, I'm Amy." Josh shyly smiled at her and shook her hand.

"Hello, ma'am. I'm Maria's cousin. Did you see another little girl, with red curly hair, blue eyes, wears yellow a lot?" Amy sighed. "We're looking for her now. She was kidnapped last night." Josh's eyes widened with worry. "Do you need any help with finding her?" Amy shook her head , "My husband is great at rescue missions. She'll be back before you know it."

"Mushroom?" Josh looked at the young handmaiden in surprise. "You're here too?" Mushroom nodded, "It's a surprise to see you as well, Sir Josh." "Yoshi!" The kids turned to Eggo as he hopped in. "Eggo! All of you are here!" Maria looked up at Josh sadly, "I miss my mom, Josh." Josh looked at his cousin, "She misses you too, Mary."

…

Shadow sighed. Where could that girl be? His ears pricked up as he heard footsteps running toward him. "Mr. Shadow?" Shadow turned quickly. "…Lara?" He felt arms looping around him, but he saw no one. Shadow sighed in relief.

"Yep, that's you. Honey, remember what Rouge told you." Lara appeared in front of the black and red hedgehog, hugging him tightly. Shadow knelt down, hugging her back. He felt tears on his right shoulder and pulled her closer. "Who took you, Sweetheart?" Lara sniffled and shuddered.

"It was a green h-hedgehog. He s-said his name w-was S-Scourge. He was s-so s-s-scary…" Shadow's eyes widened. Scourge? That was impossible! He was in jail!

Shadow picked up the girl bridal-style and ran back to the house, calling Sonic and Tails as he ran.

…

Josh practiced his power, turning to metal slowly. Maria sat on a rock nearby, playing rock-paper-scissors with Shade. Mushroom skipped rocks with Chaos, who appeared a few minutes ago with his pet Chao. Eggo was playing with said Chao, using his tongue to scoop them in his mouth, then spit them out again, causing the Chao to giggle.

"Maria! Josh?" Both kids turned to see Lara in Shadow's arms, waving excitedly. All the kids ran toward the girl and hedgehog. Lara kissed Shadow's cheek in thanks, then hopped out of the hedgehog's arms into Maria. Both girls sobbed in joy at being reunited. Amy and Rouge smiled cheerfully at the reunion, but both frowned at the looks on the men.

Amy put her hand on Sonic's shoulder. "What's wrong?" Sonic sighed at his wife, a solemn look on his face. "We found out who had captured Lara. It was Scourge." Amy gasped, eyes filled with disbelief and painful memories. Rouge turned to the kids, "Come, children. It's time to come inside now." With the tone in her voice, the children didn't dare refuse or hesitate.

"Just watch some TV Sweeties." All of the kids shrugged and walked into the living room, except Josh, who was allowed to stay. Josh kept his eye on Sonic with a look of complete attention and focus. A pang went through Sonic as the blue eyes met his. He looked so grown-up. Sonic wondered if Josh was familiar with war from this 'Mushroom Kingdom' dimension. He certainly hoped not. He was just a child.

"Josh, right?" At the boy's nod, Sonic continued, "We have enemies here on Mobius, our planet, and one of the most dangerous villains is Scourge the Hedgehog. He comes from his own alternate dimension, where everything good here is evil over there." Josh nodded in understanding.

"Twenty-one years ago, Scourge and his gang made a base in this dimension so he could become king. Of course we, the Freedom Fighters, stopped them, but Scourge managed to slip away and get his hands on all the Chaos Emeralds. He became Super Scourge and nearly overthrew me. I managed to divert his attention and knock him out, and he was thrown into jail. We were all safe from him…until now." He diverted his gaze from Josh's face to Lara sitting on the couch. "And he went after Lara for some reason. Who knows when he'll appear again?"

Amy looked at her husband, "Perhaps we should ask Lara what he wanted with her?" Sonic turned to Amy, "We might have to let her calm down a little more first." Josh shook his head, "I'm afraid we can't do that. I don't want to bring her back into something that was so frightening for her, but she will forget about the whole thing. I'll ask her." With that, the teenager walked out of the room.

The adults watched silently as Josh knelt in front of his cousin and began to ask quietly. Lara's face began to take on a scared expression and a few sniffles were heard. Amy went forward, but Sonic held her back with an expression that said, "_Not yet…"_

After a few seconds, Josh bent forward to hug his cousin. Then he walked back into his kitchen with a solemn look. "She said that Scourge wanted her to use her 'Chaos Power' but she claims that she never had it, and Lara hardly lies." Shadow looked down in thought. _What could Scourge mean by _Chaos Power_? And if Lara doesn't have it, then who?_

Scourge went after human girls, and the only human girl besides Lara was…

_No…_

Shadow looked at Maria with a look of horror in his ruby red eyes.

_He meant to go after Maria!_


	6. Chapter 6

"Shadow? Are you alright?" Said hedgehog turned toward Sonic, the horror still clear in his eyes. "I think I know who he meant to go after, Sonic." Sonic looked at where Shadow was looking, and slowly nodded his head. "You might be right, Shadow. I'll talk to her."

All of the adults watched the normally cocky hedgehog make his way to the pink-clothed girl, a solemn look on his face. He knelt down in front of the girl, where they went deep into conversation. He made little nods and gave the girl a little hug. He gently stroked the brown hair and walked back into the kitchen

"Apparently, the red Chaos Emerald filled her up with some sort of power… I never heard of the power of the Chaos Emeralds affecting humans as well, but then again, we never heard of the Mushroom Kingdom either." Josh raised his hand, "You never exactly told me, Sonic, what are the Chaos Emeralds?"

Sonic answered grimly, "The Chaos Emeralds are jewels that contain supreme power and anyone who possesses them would be the most powerful creature on the planet. They, all of them, power up the Master Emerald, which is an Emerald made from the power of Chaos."

"Chaos?" The boy was confused, so Sonic continued, "We met him once. He's a water being that 'sleeps' inside the Master Emerald, giving it its power." Josh nodded his head. "Is he some sort of…god?" Sonic looked up at the ceiling, a thoughtful look on his face, "I never really thought about it. I assumed he's a protector, but not exactly a god."

Josh looked up at the ceiling. "That reminds me of a story my dad told me about one of Uncle Mario's adventures. They had to find the Chaos Hearts to defeat a great evil. There are a lot of similarities between our worlds as we continue to think."

Shadow growled, "Not that this isn't fascinating, but can we please figure out what we have to do for Maria?" Josh gave the hedgehog an apologetic glance and crossed his arms, "Do you know of any place where she will be safe? Somewhere that Scourge is unfamiliar with?" Amy nodded.

"He doesn't know about Tails and Cosmo. She'll be safe with them." Everyone agreed: it sounded like the best plan. Josh questioned quietly, "What about Eggo, Lara, and Mushroom?" Shadow placed a hand on the boys' shoulder. His quiet determination and bravery reminded him a lot of his Maria when she sacrificed herself to save him.

"We might have to separate all of them. Cream and Charmy won't mind Lara and Sonic and Amy can take Mushroom and Eggo with them." Sonic looked at him, "Aren't you making any arrangements for yourself?"

Josh slowly shook his head, "I'll help fight this crazy hedgehog." Amy gaped at the boy, "What?" Rouge stood up, "You don't know what all he can do, Josh. Besides, you and all the other kids from your world might be studied. You shouldn't be in danger." She shuddered at her own words. It was like talking to Molly all over again.

Josh looked right into her eyes, as if gazing into her soul, "If any of my friends are in trouble…I'll stay and help them. I won't give in to fear!" Amy and Rouge stared at him, worry and awe in their gaze. Shadow frowned disapprovingly, but didn't say a word. And Sonic…

Sonic looked at the boy with pride. It was like he was listening to the teenaged version of himself. "Alright. Josh can stay; Ames and Rouge-take the rest of the children to their temporary homes. They'll be safe there."

Shadow watched as the ladies took the children away, all of them asking questions in soft, frightened tones. Shadow turned to Josh, "Say, Josh, how about you get some rest? It's been quite a day for you, and if you're going to be a hero…"

He clapped the boys' shoulder, "…you need all the rest you can get." Josh nodded and walked back to the couch without another word. The black and red hedgehog waited until the boy was out of earshot then swung his head toward the blue hedgehog.

"A child. You're going to bring a _child _into all this?" Sonic raised a brow, "We were kids ourselves, Shads. I'm not sure about _you_, though." "We weren't human, Sonic. This kid is…" "He has powers, like Maria and Lara. He can control them better too." Shadow still looked unconvinced, "I don't like this Sonic. I know how fragile human children are."

A sad undertone crept into his words and Sonic knew the reason why. "Maria was fragile, but she had a strong heart. Josh is the same way. Besides, according to Amy, he could turn to rock if he wanted to. I'm going to give the kid some training. Josh, let's go!" The boy stood up without hesitation. "Where are we going?" Sonic smirked, "Some practice."

….

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

Lily opened the door, looking at the group with confused looks. "Hi, Mrs. Rouge. Lara! Maria!" Lara ran to the green fox, "Hi, Lily!" "Who's at the door, my little flower?" Lily turned around, "It's Mrs. Rouge and Mrs. Amy with some new friends!"

A grown yellow fox stepped out into the light. He had shoulder-length gold hair and soft blue eyes. Two tails were sprouting out of his back. He smiled kindly, a sliver of surprise in the blue eyes. "Hello, Rouge. Amy. Who are the kids?" Amy looked up at him, "Maria has to stay here for a while. I'll explain inside."

…

Tails and Cosmo agreed after they heard everything. Tails was a little upset that he had just been told about the events, but he understood. Cosmo had Maria sitting on her lab, her soft, pale hands raked gently through the girls' brown hair. "Thank you for understanding this, Mr. Prowler." The fox nodded, "They're kids who are alone and possibly scared, even though some of them won't show it."

He nodded toward Mushroom and Eggo. Mushroom reminded him a lot of himself. She was brave, trying not to give into fear, especially since she was a handmaiden, but a sliver of fright appeared in her eyes.

Amy interrupted his musings, "Thank you, Tails. Call us if you need anything." Waving their goodbyes, the group left in silence.

…

"Ha-ha! Huckle can't catch me!" A little bee girl flew down the stairs, a teenaged black rabbit with yellow spots flying after her. "Cake, come back here! I'm not kidding around!" Cake shook her head, her orange hair floating atop her wings. "Not until you catch me!"

Huckle sighed and was about to give chase again when a knock was heard. Letting out a huff of air, he flew toward the front door. Rouge, Amy, and a bunch of strange kids were at the door.

Amy smiled, "Hello, Huckle. Is your mother home?" Huckle couldn't speak; he was too busy staring at the red-haired, little girl. The girl was staring right back at him, a slight blush on her face. Amy smirked, "Huckle, where's Cream?" "Hmm..? OH!"

"She's in the garden with Dad." Rouge smirked, "Can you watch these girls while we're gone?"

"Uh-huh…" Huckle went back to his staring, causing Lara to giggle shyly. Mushroom and Eggo rolled their eyes at the display, "Kids…"

Eggo mumbled something softly. _Like you and that Chaos guy? _Mushroom turned to the dinosaur, face red with anger. "Where did you get THAT idea from?" Eggo smiled sheepishly. _It was a wild guess…_

Huckle was letting Lara onto his back, getting her ready for a ride. Mushroom quickly spoke up, "Be careful, Lara!" Lara nodded at her, and continued to climb. Huckle held onto the girls' waist, blushing at the way she's holding onto him. "Ready for a little ride?" "Yes, please."

Lara laughed, tightening her grip on Huckle as he hovered higher into the ground. "Let's get going, kids."

….

Rouge and Amy finally made their way back to the house, Amy's emerald green eyes filled with fatigue. "That was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life." Rouge nodded her head. Loud, tired yells filled the air, along with loud thuds and clanging.

Rouge took Amy's hands and they flew over the hillside. Josh was now made of metal and running through giant rock formations. The boy raised a punch at a massive crater, immediately breaking it into a million pieces. Amy nodded in approval.

Rouge smiled when she saw her husband coming over. She flew over to him and gave him a tender kiss. Shadow welcomed it whole-heartedly.

"How's the kid doing?" Shadow looked over at the place where the kid was continuing his training. "He's doing pretty well for a fragile human." Amy rolled her eyes and looked over at her husband and Josh.

"He looks like he's doing very well." Josh did look pretty good. He had a little, relaxed smirk on his face and he seemed very confident. "He reminds me of how Sonic was at that age…" She covered her eyes as Sonic grabbed Josh and brought him over to where they were.

"That was great, Josh. But we need to smooth out those moves, if you get what I mean." Josh nodded, "Of course, Sonic." Sonic nodded and clapped the boy on the shoulder.

"Take a little break. You deserve it." Josh nodded and walked off.

….

"Oh, this is troubling! Wot, wot! Oh, why didn't I supervise?" E. Gadd was busy trying to get the emerald charging up again, Toadsworth was becoming a worrisome mess on the ground, and the Kings and Queens were struggling to control their tempers. Not only were their children missing; now the nephew was missing.

_This is not one of my better days…_

Mario couldn't take it anymore. "Toadsworth, hush!" The older toad sniffled but did as he was told. "Panicking and crying won't solve anything. We'll just have to try again. Let's think some more about this: this 'emerald' seems to take only the children here…why is that?"

Nobody had a clue. "Well, we'll have to just try to keep our heads until this dilemma is solved."

…

Meanwhile, in Mobius, nobody noticed a rainbow butterfly flying through the trees…


	7. Chapter 7

Timpani didn't know what happened. One minute she was placing her two week old son in bed and the next, she was back in her pixl form, fluttering through the woods.

_At least my memory isn't gone like last time. Oh Blumiere, how can I get back home to you? _The multi-colored butterfly paused when she heard the sound of children laughing. Fluttering closer to the sound, her invisible eyes widened as she saw a girl, about five years old, with brown hair and brilliant sky-blue eyes.

_She looks almost like Mario… _The pixls' eyes softened as she remembered her old friend: the hero of the Light Prognisticus and the man who reunited her and her love. She and Blumiere will forever be grateful to Mario, they even named their son after him.

_Maybe she will help me. _With that thought in her head, she flew slightly faster to the young girl.

….

Maria sat on Shades' back as they played tag with all the other children. Amy, Rouge, and Cosmo were watching them as they played tag. The boys were supervising Josh and his training. Maria was currently 'it', so Shade graciously let her climb on his back to catch the other kids easier.

She had almost reached Lily when a soft, twinkling voice like chimes rang out.

"Excuse me…" Maria turned around to meet the most beautiful butterfly she had ever seen. And…it talked!

All of the children gathered around the butterfly with widened eyes and gaping mouths. Maria swallowed, but nodded.

"Yes, pretty butterfly?" The butterfly giggled sweetly causing Maria to blush and shyly look at her clasped hands. The butterfly reminded her of her mother whenever she tucked her in.

"Are you a relative of Mario? He's a good friend of mine." The girl looked up at the mention of her fathers' name. She nodded shyly.

"Yes, he's my father." The butterfly giggled again.

"I thought as much. Do you know where he is? I would like to speak to him." Maria looked down, her eyes drooping sadly. Shade placed a gloved hand on her shoulder, eyeing her with concern.

"My papa isn't here…We're not in the Mushroom Kingdom anymore. We're in Mobius."

The butterflys' antennae drooped in disappointment. "Oh…I see…" Maria looked back up at the butterfly, her heart reacting to her sorrow.

"But…Mr. Tails and Mrs. Cosmo might help. Mr. Tails is a scitist…scensist…um…" Lily interrupted, "Scientist."

Maria nodded, "Yeah, that." The butterfly perked up.

"That sounds like a great idea."

…..

Tails stared at the butterfly wide-eyed. The butterfly grew a little nervous. It was like the incident with Francis all over again.

"So, your name is Timpani, and you're really a human…" The butterfly nodded wordlessly, hoping the fox could come up with some idea to get her home.

"…And you're also from another dimension?" Timpani nodded again.

"So can you help me get home? I have a two week old son. I have to get home…" Tails bit his thumb nervously.

"Unfortunately, I don't know yet; the idea of other dimensions besides Earth never entered my mind. But, don't worry, I'll figure it out…If only I asked Chris about the machine he made that let him cross over into our world…"

Tails looked toward the group of children. "If you all would keep Miss. Timpani company while she's in our world, that would be great." Everybody nodded eagerly.

Maria held out her small, pudgy hand out. "Come on Miss. Timpani. We'll show you the forest by Mr. Shadows' house." Timpani fluttered into Marias' hand softly. The girl held onto the butterfly gently while following the rest of their friends.

"So I heard you're friends with Daddy…Can you tell me of your adventures with him?" Timpani gently flew out of Marias' hands.

"You all want to know?" All of the children yelled in wordless excitement. The butterfly giggled and led them all to a grassy patch and flew in the middle of the sitting children.

"It all started when I woke up in a dimension called Flipside..."


End file.
